Lizzy Helena's Pulla Buns

Pulla is a Finnish sweetbread flavored with cardamom. I grew up making pulla all the time with my mom, who has perfected a vegan version of the recipe! It's beautiful on its own, with jam and butter, as french toast, or even as bread pudding if it's gone stale. While pulla is traditionally made in one large braided loaf, I like to make mine as buns because I love the way they look. You can shape your buns any way you like!

This recipe makes 8 pulla buns! It can easily be doubled. 

Ingredients

4.5 cups all purpose flour

1 packet instant yeast

2 tbsp warm water

2 eggs

1 cup lukewarm milk

3/8 cup softened butter

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp ground cardamom

 

Instructions

Step 1: Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl to activate it.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, salt, cardamom, milk, butter, and 1/2 cup of the flour. Beat until smooth.

Step 3: Add the yeast and remaining 4 cups of flour to the mix.

Step 4: Knead with hands until firm and smooth, about 10 minutes.

Step 5: Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for 8-10 hours. 

Step 6: After the dough has risen, knead it on lightly floured surface until smooth again.

Step 7: Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. These will be your 8 buns.

Step 8: Cut each piece into 4 pieces and roll into strands, about 1/2 inch in diameter.

Step 9: Lay out the strands like this:

Step 10: Cross the strands over each other counter clockwise, each strand alternating over & under.

Step 11:  Fold the ends under to form into a roll. They will look like this:

Step 12: Cover rolls with a clean towel and allow to rise again, 30 minutes if at room temp and an hour if you refrigerated your dough overnight.

Step 13: Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 minutes. They should be deep golden brown on the tops.

Step 14: Allow buns to cool to room temperature before slicing. 

Step 15: Enjoy with butter and jam!

 

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